Wheeling, W. Va. - Throughout the 7's season, the Wheeling University Rugby team (19-6) has had success, winning the National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) DI Championship in each of their first three tournaments. The Cardinals look to keep that success going this week as they head to Cincinnati, Ohio for the Wolfhound 7's. The tournament will be a Round Robin style affair, where the Cardinals will play four different opponents with the winner of the tournament being determined by a point system decided by the tournament.
After a week off last week, the Cardinals are coming off their third DI championship of the spring season at the Moosemen 7's, hosted by Middle Tennessee State University. In the bracket style tournament, the Cardinals picked up first round wins over Saint Louis University and Virginia Tech before meeting up with a familiar foe in the championship game, taking on Notre Dame College. The Cardinals once again emerged triumphant, winning 14-10, before moving on to the tournament championship against the winner of the Division II side, East Carolina University. The Cardinals couldn't finish out another perfect tournament, falling to the ECU Pirates 27-22 to end the week. The Cardinals finished 4-1 on the day and are continuing preparations for the CRC 7's National Championships at the end of April.
After a strong start to the season, the Cardinals got another big performance from their leader in junior Mohamed Haddar, who finished tied for the team lead with four tries on the day. It brought his 7's season try total to 22 for the season while also going 17-20 in the team's kicking game. He leads the Cardinals with 144 points this season and has been a force for opposing defenses. Joining him in the success on the pitch was freshman Lawula Bata, who added four tries of his own to round out the day. Bata was second on the team in tries during the fall 15's season and is once again second on the team in the spring season, sitting at 12 tries for the 7's season.
While they have a lot of strong pieces, they will also be without two of their key pieces for the final two regular season tournaments of the year. Sophomore Chief Chipfumbu and freshman Aaron Juma each headed back to Zimbabwe, where they will be playing with the Zimbabwe National team throughout the spring and summer months. Juma was third on the Cardinals in tries during 7's season and Chipfumbu has been a big part of the Cardinal's offense throughout the season. Both players will return for the CRC 7's at the end of April, but the Cardinals will be without two of their top offensive players as they continue to get guys in the fold and get them much needed experience before the National Championship event.
Heading into the Wolfhound 7's, this tournament will be different than any other tournament the Cardinals have played in this season. Typically, the teams go through a series of Pool Play games to determine where they stand for the championship rounds later in the afternoon. This time around, the Cardinals are guaranteed four contests, one against each team in the tournament. From those games, the tournament hosts will determine a winner based on the point spread. The Cardinals are looking for their fourth straight tournament championship during this 7's season and they will get a chance to see some new competition, with three of the four teams they are facing on the schedule being first time matchups for this 7's season.
The Matchups
Indiana University of Pennsylvania: The Cardinals and Crimson Hawks are meeting for the third time in program history on Saturday, with Wheeling leading the all-time series with a record of 2-0. It will be the second time that the two teams have met in 7's play, with their only other 7's meeting coming back on March 10th, 2018. Wheeling's offense has reigned supreme in those games, averaging 46.5 points per game and in the last meeting, Wheeling won 45-10 in 15's play back in September of 2021. The Cardinals were led by former Cardinal Ayoub Jalli, who scored two tries and three conversion kicks in the win.
Iowa Central Community College: The Cardinals and Tartans are meeting for the third time in program history on Saturday, with Wheeling leading the all-time series with a record of 2-0. However, this will be the first time that the two teams have met in 7's play, with each of their last two meetings coming in 15's play. It has been a close series overall, with the two games being decided by 12 points or less, and the Cardinals look to open the 7's season with a win. In their most recent meeting during the Fall 15's season, Wheeling won 38-26 on the backs of a big performance by Aaron Juma, who scored five tries.
Thomas More: The Cardinals and Saints are meeting for the second time in program history on Saturday, with Thomas More winning the first meeting. This will also be the Cardinal's first 7's meeting with Thomas More, after joining them in Big Rivers Rugby Conference play, back in the 15's season. Wheeling scored just 12 points during the first matchup between the two teams and are looking to up their offensive productivity this time around. In that first meeting, Thomas More came away with a 40-12 victory as Joe Iye and Rua Karimazondo scored the two Cardinal tries.
University of Rio Grande: The Cardinals and Red Storm are meeting for the second time in program history and the second time this season. The Cardinals lead the all-time series with a record of 1-0, picking up the win back during the Pitt Dome 7's tournament. The two teams have never met in 15's play, and the Cardinals put up 22 points in the first meeting. The Cardinals won that game 22-15, led by two tries from Aaron Juma and a try from Mohamed Haddar.
The Details
The first game for the Wheeling Rugby team in the Wolfhound 7's is scheduled for 11 AM and is hosted by the Cincinnati Rugby Football Club. Follow along with wucardinals.com throughout the day for updates and a full recap at the end of the day.
